Reserve Propels Cnc Past Apprentice

Chappell Leads Captains To Best Start Ever At 8-1

NEWPORT NEWS — Christopher Newport College reserve Jamie Chappell did exactly what his team needed Tuesday night - he gave the Captains a lift.

Chappell did that and more in lifting the Captains (8-1) to their best start ever by scoring 22 points and giving CNC a 92-78 basketball victory over the Apprentice School at the A's gymnasium.

"We've got a real deep team," said Chappell, a freshman from Phoebus High School. "My job is to play behind Lamont Strothers and James Boykins, and I'm satisfied with that."

Chappell's performance couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the Captains.

Strothers, the Captains' top scorer, picked up his fourth foul and had to leave the game with the A's ahead 54-51 with 15:43 remaining.

But Chappell came in and scored seven consecutive points to put the Captains ahead 58-54 with 12:44 left.

"Chappell really hurt us," said Coach Horace Underwood of the A-School (5-6). "He really gave them the spark they needed at the right time. He did a tremendous job."

"Jamie played with the confidence he's capable of playing," said Coach C.J. Woollum of CNC. "At Phoebus, he was a starter. Here, we've asked him to come off the bench and give us a lift by scoring. He can be a starter; there's no doubt about that."

The ex-Phoebus star is completely satisfied with the role he's playing at the moment.

"The team sort of looks to me to come and give them some quick points," Chappell said. "I enjoy getting the team going after they're a little down." Chappell enjoyed a near-perfect night as he hit on 8-of-10 field goals (3-for-3 from 3-point range) and connected on 3-of-4 free throws.

Strothers, who averages 23 points a game, finished with 13.

"I thought about putting Strothers back into the game even with the four fouls, but the team I had on the floor showed good rhythm, so I didn't want to disrupt the chemistry," said Woollum, whose Captains visit William and Mary Friday night.

"We stayed in the game with them most of the way," Underwood said. "But at the end, we sort of got rattled on offense. We began forcing too many shots and missed."